5 Aug 22 – What your dog is trying to tell you

Bought this at the supermarket, so I can communicate better with Norman.

So I’ve read it and me and Norman are getting on great, communicating effectively late into the night.

  • Norman: Woof woof – there’s a couple of drunks outside.
  • Norman: Woof woof – someone’s slammed a car door.
  • Me (from upstairs): Woof woof – shut up you idiot.

I’ve only mastered that one phrase, but I used it often.

Apart from that sentence, here’s what else I’ve learnt from the guide.

Whenever I come home from, wait I don’t go anywhere, so let’s say the shops, I give him the canine handshake.

This lets me know if he’s in a good mood, when he last ate and whether he’s healthy. All useful info and saves a fortune at the vets.

Diane: He looks a bit off today?

Me: Sniff, sniff, cholesterol a little high but he’ll be fine.

After the handshake we both yawn.

According to the expert in the magazine, yawning can mean he’s sick, or stressed or not stressed or looking forward to something or not looking forward to something.

EXPERT in inconclusiveness

He yawns quite a lot, especially when I talk to him.

Diane does too, but I haven’t got the ‘What your wife is trying to tell you’ magazine, so not sure what that means.

Then we chew some socks from the bottom of the laundry basket together.

After we’ve chewed a hole in them and threw them in the air a bit, we roll on them, hide them behind the shed and flatten our ears against our heads.

According to the expert in the magazine, ears pulled back means they are fearful or friendly or sad or not fearful or unfriendly or happy.

EXPERT on inconclusive earography

Next up, we go and eat some long straggly bits of grass in the garden. Apparently, dogs eat grass because there’s something lacking in their diet, how do they know that? I have no idea what I’m lacking, but I eat a lot of custard creams just in case it’s creaminess.

Next day, after a good session of straggly grass eating, Me and Norman do our version of the Paul Daniel’s neverending ribbon from the fist trick.

But it’s not a ribbon and it’s not a fist I’m pulling it out of, and Debbie Mcgee is not involved. You’ll be glad to know I haven’t done a more graphic sketch of this, because the answer to the question of whether you’ll like it, I can definitely say – not a lot.

Childish poo sketch without grass to clarify.

I take Norman for a walk at least twice a day and the magazine says I should allow him to sniff as much as he wants. Smelling is his way of sussing out the world and if you don’t let him it could lead to depression. However, waiting for Norman to stop sniffing can also lead to depression, mine.

Dogs can detect if our blood sugar levels are low. Now that we can communicate so well, I realise that whenever Norman glances in the general direction of the fridge, he’s telling me to have a couple of segments of chocolate orange. Thanks, Norm you’re a lifesaver.

He can also detect kidney, bladder, prostate, and skin cancer.

But I can never get an appointment.

According to the expert in the magazine, there’s no evidence to suggest dogs can detect ghosts.

because they don’t exist

One of the most important things Norman does for me is make me look incredibly attractive. Here’s a typical example.

Complete stranger in the street: ‘What a handsome fella YOU are.’

No one ever said that to me before Norman came along.

‘What a choochy face, what a choochy woochy face.’

That’s when it gets a bit awkward.

So there you are, all the information you need to communicate effectively with your dog. Or, if you want to simplify things, check if their tail’s wagging.

Have a great weekend. 

Take care and all the best,

Ian

(If you want to leave a comment below, that would be great)


5 Aug 22 – What your dog is trying to tell you

42 thoughts on “5 Aug 22 – What your dog is trying to tell you

  • August 5, 2022 at 10:48 am
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    Best one so far, hilarious!

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      • August 5, 2022 at 3:39 pm
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        Ah, I skim read this – it’s only dogs you handshake like that……..

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        • Ian Young
          August 5, 2022 at 5:14 pm
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          That’s up to you Steve, give it a try down the High St and let me know how it goes 🙂

          Reply
  • August 5, 2022 at 11:12 am
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    Oh wow! You’ve just made my day! Had a good laugh just when I needed it! Thank you, love your stuff ?

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    • Ian Young
      August 5, 2022 at 12:59 pm
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      Thanks Judy, glad it made you laugh. Have a great weekend 🙂

      Reply
  • August 5, 2022 at 11:14 am
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    Loved thus, was laughing at it as I have an 11 month old border collie puppy and you could be describing me and Rory ( the puppy)

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    • Ian Young
      August 5, 2022 at 1:01 pm
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      Thanks Karen, glad you enjoyed it. Rory sounds fun, Norman would love to move in with you, help out with Rory 🙂

      Reply
  • August 5, 2022 at 11:26 am
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    So funny. Always look forward to these.

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    • Ian Young
      August 5, 2022 at 1:01 pm
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      Thanks Serpil, glad you enjoyed it. Have a great weekend 🙂

      Reply
  • August 5, 2022 at 11:30 am
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    Said it before and will say it again … Please do a book about Naughty Norman?
    Love your weekly newsletter – highlight of my Friday morning.

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    • Ian Young
      August 5, 2022 at 1:04 pm
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      Thanks Lorna, glad you like it. Norman would want all the profits, he doesn’t know I say all these bad things about him 🙂

      Reply
  • August 5, 2022 at 12:08 pm
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    Ian , so true, i have 2 dogs that sniff for England, usually one after the other, on top of weeing on each others wee, so our lead walks consist of a whole lot of stopping and starting.
    and don’t get me started on grass eating, i often have to ‘ operate ‘ while the dogs are pooing, don’t you just love them.

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    • Ian Young
      August 5, 2022 at 1:07 pm
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      Haha Maibritt, I don’t think I could cope with 2 Normans. Norman has a drop of wee reserved for all lamposts and most bushes with a 2 mile radius of our house 🙂

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  • August 5, 2022 at 12:22 pm
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    Hahahaha this is brilliant…. Any idea how we communicate with my daughter’s great Dane pup Elton and tell him he can’t eat his way out of the kitchen to get to the neighbours dog whose in heat…. She is now minus a kitchen door , not to mention the worktops ?

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    • Ian Young
      August 5, 2022 at 1:11 pm
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      Don’t want to come between Elton and his girlfriend. I used to know a very fat lab that ate through a wall to get to his biscuits, but Elton sounds even more dedicated to his mission 🙂

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  • August 5, 2022 at 12:28 pm
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    Love it – 2 Frenchies – 1 kept on lead (naughty), 1 free to do her own thing. Oh the hours of waiting for 1 to stop sniffing while the other is having a ball – and as for the Paul Daniels trick…I’m with you there – laughed out loud, brilliant!!

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    • Ian Young
      August 5, 2022 at 1:15 pm
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      Don’t know why we call it a dog walk, it’s just sniffing, weeing and pooing (and magic tricks). Glad you enjoyed it 🙂

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  • August 5, 2022 at 12:43 pm
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    Sadly, I too am a victim of the Paul Faniels magic trick. ?

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    • Ian Young
      August 5, 2022 at 1:16 pm
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      It’s a real crowd pleaser, if there are people about 🙂

      Reply
  • August 5, 2022 at 1:55 pm
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    Great story, good to see that you and Norman are commmunicating. 😀 Always thought that the idea of them sniffing everywhere was so that they can find their way around, this is apparently why, after having had a “necessary” sniff, they then have a – sort of obligatory – squirt afterwards, it’s a sort of identity tag or marker, so that if or when they pass that way again they know where they’ve been

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    • Ian Young
      August 5, 2022 at 5:23 pm
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      Thanks Baz, that explains a few things. Might try that myself, I’m always getting lost. Have a good weekend 🙂

      Reply
  • August 5, 2022 at 2:36 pm
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    I’m sure I met the twin brother of the Expert of Inconcluse Earology at a professional development training course!

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    • Ian Young
      August 5, 2022 at 5:09 pm
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      Haha, one word to describe that magazine- inconclusive or maybe conclusive 🙂

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  • August 5, 2022 at 2:59 pm
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    Brilliant – laughing out loud! We have a chocolate Labrador who often looks towards the fridge – thanks for letting me know why! Saving my life too! ?

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    • Ian Young
      August 5, 2022 at 5:11 pm
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      Labradors are very helpful. He’s staring at the fridge now, 6ish on a Friday night, I think that means I need a beer 🙂

      Reply
  • August 5, 2022 at 3:35 pm
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    I think all of your stories are very funny. I haven’t bought a t-shirt yet, but I will. Just cannot decide which one .

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    • Ian Young
      August 5, 2022 at 5:12 pm
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      Thanks Barbey, glad you like the stories and the t-shirts. Have a good weekend 🙂

      Reply
  • August 5, 2022 at 5:01 pm
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    Oh Ian, your stories just get funnier and funnier. I’ve just been laughing and dribbled my wine down my teeshirt!

    I so look forward to receiving your emails, unlike most emails from others. So thank you! Keep up the funny work 🙂

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    • Ian Young
      August 5, 2022 at 5:19 pm
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      Thanks Heather, really appreciate that. Glad you like it. Like I said on another comment, Norman’s staring at the fridge at 6ish on a Friday and that definitely means it’s time for a beer. Enjoy your wine 🙂

      Reply
  • August 6, 2022 at 6:02 am
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    Love your weekly tales, they really make me chuckle….we should chuckle more ?

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  • August 6, 2022 at 8:02 am
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    You at the fringe this month ???

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    • Ian Young
      August 7, 2022 at 10:11 am
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      Wish I was, went a couple of years ago, it was brill (watching not performing, just to be clear) 🙂

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  • August 7, 2022 at 1:04 pm
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    Thanks for keeping these up – I love em and it reminds me you’re there when I need a random present, or just a treat! The only thing is, since you’ve gone to the new format I get two every week. It’s not a problem this end, just disappointing when I haven’t checked in for a while and think I’ve got more of a binge in hand than I have 😉
    Keep up the good work!

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    • Ian Young
      August 9, 2022 at 1:53 pm
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      Hi Tamsin, glad you like them. Sorry about the double emails, the software we use automatically sends the email again on Saturday if you don’t open it on Friday. Do you think this is too annoying?

      Reply
      • August 10, 2022 at 12:15 pm
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        Not now I know why! But your marketing algorithm brains shouldn’t read too much into the fact that I don’t get around to reading them that day, or even that week… I quite like a binge read ?

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        • Ian Young
          August 10, 2022 at 4:27 pm
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          You’re right, those marketing experts aren’t that brainy are they?

          Reply
  • August 11, 2022 at 8:13 am
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    Every dog owner identifies! Nice work again Ian.

    Reply

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